Anything Goes Duel Monsters
by Ironneko
Summary: A duel between the two greatest card players gets our favourite martial artist caught up in the world of duel monsters.
1. The Coming of the Stallion

Anything Goes Duel Monsters  
  
by Raziel  
  
Taken from Nighthawk's ideas page with permission.  
  
Original idea from Doctor What.  
  
' ' indicates thoughts.  
  
" " indicates speech.  
  
Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine. Yu Gi Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi and Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi (kinda odd, right?)  
  
Timeline: This story is set after the failed wedding for Ranma 1/2 and before the Battle City tournament for Yu Gi Oh!.  
  
Prologue: The coming of the stallion  
  
***************  
  
The city of Domino. A calm and normal place. Well, except for the occasional Duel Monsters poster, or statue, or game shop... you get the point. Of course none of these could hold a candle to the high-tech dueling arenas at Kaiba Corp's Kaiba Land, where Duel Monsters actually came to life, even if only as holograms. It was in front of the fountain at the entrance of this establishment that the two world's greatest duelists were having a heated discussion.  
  
"What do you mean I can't summon my Dark Magician?" asked the spiky haired dueling champ. "Oh, did I forget to mention it? My new duel disks play by different rules than the regular game." replied Seto Kaiba, owner of the most successful company regarding Duel Monsters besides Industrial Illusions. "You really shouldn't accept to duel without knowing how to play, Yugi."  
  
Yami was really pissed off. Kaiba was unfairly insulting Yugi's ability as a duelist after inviting him to test out his latest product without even explaining the new rules. He had reached his breaking point and then, for the first time, he forced the fusion.  
  
After a quick check of the rules using the small screen provided by Kaiba, the younger boy was ready. "Fine then, in accordance to your new rules I can sacrifice one monster to summon either a level five or six monster. So I shall now offer my Feral Imp (LV 4 1400/1200) in order to summon one of my most powerful monsters" Yami smiled as he removed his Feral imp from the monster area into the graveyard. "Appear, SUMMONED SKULL!! (LV 6 2500/1200)" With a bright flash of light the green imp exploded, and then the glow coaleced into the powerful electrical skeleton. "Now, attack his Battle Ox! (LV 4 1700/1000)" The mighty creature raised its claws and a lightning bolt erupted from in between. Kaiba's monster was instantly obliterated by the blast.  
  
Kaiba winced as his lifepoints dropped to 3200. He drew a card as he cursed inwardly. 'Stupid, stupid. Of course he would draw his Summoned Skull.' as he finally looked at the card, he smiled. "I shall play the Lord of Dragons (LV4 1200/1100) in defense mode" Yami cringed in anticipation of what was to come. "and I activate the Flute of the Summoning Dragon, which enables me to summon 2 Blue eyes White Dragons (LV8 3000/2500) onto the field." With a deafening roar, both mighty creatures appeared before the Pharaoh.  
  
"Now, attack his monster. WHITE LIGHTNING!!" The blast obliterated the opposing creature, leaving Yugi defenseless. "And now I shall attack your lifepoints directly." Another powerful blast and only 500 lifepoints were left for the duelist kingdom champion. "You're doomed Yugi. There's no way you can defeat 2 of my dragons without Exodia."  
  
'Kaiba's right, there's no way to win'. 'Don't be discouraged, believe in the heart of the cards and we will be able to defeat him'. After hearing the voice of his companion, Yami felt invigorated. 'You're right Yugi. Let's do this'. Mentally steeling himself, he reached over to his deck and drew a card.  
  
"I play SWORDS OF REVEALING LIGHT!!" The glowing blades fell on Kaiba's monsters as Yugi finally got a breather. 'Now I just have to hold on for 3 turns'. "I also lay one card face down and summon the Celtic Guardian (LV4 1400/1200) . Attack his Lord of Dragons!". The skeleton clad spellcaster dissolved as the attack hit home.  
  
"Ha.. You're just delaying the inevitable". Unconcerned with the events, Kaiba drew a card. "I'll pass this turn".  
  
After drawing another card, Yugi considered his hand. 'Hmm... It's a bold move but it just might be enough'. "I shall set one card face down". Taking a pause to look through his cards once again, the duelist finally made up his mind. 'All right, I'm going for it'. "and I'll summon the Mystical Elf (LV4 800/2000)".  
  
"That's pathetic. Don't tell me that's all you can do? Just two more turns and my dragons will be free to attack once again". The CEO of Kaiba Corp drew another card. 'Ha, the third Blue eyes. Now all I need is a polymerization card, or at least some weak monsters to summon it'. "I shall pass again".  
  
'This is useful', Yami thought 'but it's not what we're looking for'. "I shall set a monster face down in defense mode and end my turn".  
  
"Only one more turn to go Yugi", taunted the older one. "One turn will be enough", replied the bearer of the Millenium Puzzle. 'It's a good thing Joey let me borrow this card to try it out, it will come in handy'. "I pass again", he said after laying another card face down.  
  
Kaiba couldn't believe it. He was actually going to win fairly against his rival. There was no way anyone could disprove his victory now, like what happened at duelist kingdom, especially with the crowd surrounding them. "I'll pass, but my dragons will destroy you next turn".  
  
Yami once again stood before the very same door he had faced when battling Mai. He once again felt the overwhelming sense of dread wash over him. He prepared himself and opened it, but what it revealed was not what he had hoped for. 'No... it can't be. My deck has failed me...'. As he dejectedly looked at his cards he noticed something strange. What was that last magic card? He was sure it wasn't there a moment ago, but he wasn't about to question luck. "I play, Card Destruction, allowing me to discard my hand in order to draw as many cards".  
  
Kaiba cursed as he saw his last dragon get sent to the graveyard, along with his Monster Reborn card, killing any chances he had of creating the Blue eyes Ultimate Dragon.  
  
As soon as Yami laid eyes on his cards, his faith was restored. There it was. The card he had been expecting. His black and gold armor as powerful as ever. But he now realized that it wouldn't be enough. 'It's just not enough, this will just take care of one of the dragons.' Yugi was at a loss, he knew he could win but he just didn't see how it could be done. That is until he noticed the card beside his ritual monster. He briefly checked his help screen and saw that one of Kaiba's dragons was already in his graveyard. 'Okay, I just hope this works.' His confidence restored, he knew it was all over. Now it was time to end this duel. "You just lost Kaiba". "What!" He? Lost? With the cards he had on the field? 'He must have lost his mind', thought the arrogant former champ. 'there's no card in his deck that can beat my dragons'.  
  
"First I'll reveal one of my face down cards. The Black Luster Ritual. Then, I'll offer both my monsters as a tribute in order to summon the legendary BLACK LUSTER SOLDIER!(LV8 3000/2500)". With a burst of purple light, both of Yugi's monsters dissapeared as they were sucked into the ritual pots. Then, the door opened, and the mighty creature leaped forth.  
  
"Now I shall reveal Copycat. Which allows me to copy any monster you have on the field, and I choose your Blue eyes White Dragon." With a flash of light, the mirror weilding spellcaster appearead and was quickly replaced with one of the rarest cards in duel monsters. "Next I will activate my Monster Reborn card, allowing me to summon a creature from either graveyard, and I choose your other Blue eyes White Dragon!!"  
  
Another burst of light and the last of the mighty dragons appeared on Yugi's side of the field. "And now for the card that will be your undoing... I activate the magic card Brain Control, allowing me to seize one of your dragons for a single turn."  
  
Kaiba's dragon roared as it was suddenly transported to Yugi's side of the field. It's owner watched in disbelief as his defenses were diminished as his opponent's grew. He realized that Yugi still held two cards and remembered the duel they fought against the Mythical Dragon inside his VR game. It was at that time he had truly seen the most powerful monster in Duel Monsters, and it wasn't an Egyptian god card, or even Exodia the Forbidden One. He now recalled that Yugi had a Polymerization in his deck.  
  
Yami took a deep breath as he steeled himself for a move that he wasn't sure would work. 'Let's see, if these duel disks are really the latest in the market then they should include the special revision that Industrial Illusions recently performed.' "I now play the magic card Polymerization allowing me to fuse ALL of my monsters into the most powerful monster know as of today." A swirling vortex of energy sprung up on Yugi's side of the field, swallowing all the monsters.  
  
"WHAT, NO!!! You need a second Polymerization to do this!" Kaiba yelled.  
  
"Not if you checked the new rules, you're not the only one who can change them." replied the Pharaoh. "Now come forth, MASTER OF DRAGON KNIGHT!!! (LV 12 5000/5000)" After the wind died down a monster appeared. The Black Luster Soldier was now standing above the three-headed Blue eyes Ultimate Dragon, looking at his remaining opponent impassively. "And, while according to your new rules I can't attack this turn, my Knight gets a five hundred attack point bonus for every dragon on the field, and in the graveyard."  
  
Kaiba fumed silently as Yugi's monster's attack grew to seven thousand. "I switch my dragon to defense mode and end my turn." he said, furious at his inability to prevent this disaster.  
  
"It's over Kaiba... I activate my newest magic card, Fairy Meteor Crush which lets damage pass onto your lifepoints even if your monster is in defense mode. Now attack Master of Dragon Knight, Galaxy Crusher!!!"  
  
With a blinding flash, Seto Kaiba's monster, and lifepoints, were no more.  
  
"You cheated!!!", exclaimed the sore loser. "What? You can't accuse me of being a cheater. I beat you fair and square", replied the angered winner. "Oh yes I can, that Copycat card is from Joey Wheeler's deck, it doesn't belong to you, I know that there is no way you'd have gotten one in a booster pack since that particular edition has run out." responded Kaiba. "What's that got to do with anything?"  
  
Kaiba was running out of options, he had refrained from revealing Obelisk the Tormentor to surprise Yugi at the tournament, but it had cost him more than he could imagine. However there was still a way out. He had failed to mislead Yugi about him using another duelist's cards so there was only one thing he could try. If he played his cards right (pardon the pun) he could still save face, and maybe something more. He knew of Yugi's love for challenges so he made a proposition.  
  
"How about a little wager? If you can teach a person with no dueling skills whatsoever how to play the game and he manages to defeat me, I shall accept this loss". he proposed. "What?" replied the confused Yugi, who had de-fused by now and was not being influenced by the Pharaoh.  
  
"I'll be hosting a tournament in six months, that's the reason for the new rules. If this person can beat me in the tournament, I'll accept my loss and even give you my rarest card". Seeing Yugi was still undecisive he continued "I'll even lend him my three Blue eyes White Dragons". "But where am I going to find a single person in all of Domino who doesn't know how to duel. I mean, people just don't drop from the sky".  
  
Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony. (1)  
  
*************  
  
Now, all people have heard about the wonderful person that is Murphy, or at least about his laws. One teenager, as a fact, was very acquainted with what they entailed. However, things worked differently for Ranma Saotome than for most other people. You see, he was what is commonly known as, a "trouble magnet". If a situation could be misinterpreted and escalate into a conflict afound him, it did.  
  
Now though, a week after the failed wedding attempt, things had calmed down considerably for the young martial artist. Akane had not malleted him once, Ukyou and Shampoo had been avoiding him, the old ghoul and Happosai hadn't been around and the Kunos were admitted at the local psychiatric facility. Ranma had never known peace for this long.  
  
He was terrified. He knew something BIG was coming and he had been hoping for three days that it would just happen. But it hadn't and the chaos kept building up. So he was pretty sure that today was going to spell doom for him.  
  
It was no surprise to suddenly find himself flying over the skies of Nerima, courtesy of Air Akane after being glomped, kicked, thrown about like a rag doll, glomped some more, bombed by a happodaikarin and insulted. 'This is it' he thought. 'I'm tired of taking this crap day after day. I'm not going back to that god-forsaken place even if it means having to abandon everything I know'.  
  
Sparing a glance to the ground below, he was surprised to find that he was still rising. 'Man, I can't believe the tomboy got me this far. She must have been really mad, and to think I almost married her'.  
  
It was true. Ranma had been steadily losing the feeling he once had for the mallet-wielding girl. Even at the wedding he realized he'd put up with the abuse for too long. He was willing to go through with it for the naniichuan. He had always known about the casket but thought it best to play dumb about the whole thing. But now as the old letch had downed all of the water he saw no reason to stay in the Tendo Dojo.  
  
Looking down again, he noticed that he wasn't in Nerima anymore. 'What the hell?? She sent me all the way to another district??'. Suddenly he began to feel gravity re-take him as he began to descend. He passed over a sign that read "Welcome to Domino City". 'Domino City, hmm... never heard of that place before'. He cut his musings short when he realized the ground was rapidly approaching now and he was going to crash between two bickering kids.  
  
************  
  
"WATCH OUT!!!". At the shout, both Kaiba and Yugi looked up just in time to see a red blur fall from the sky. The two duelists cleared the area quickly and avoided being flattened by the human cannonball that just dropped out of nowhere. A dust cloud sprung up around the crash site and, when it cleared, a guy in his late teens could be clearly seen half-embedded in the sidewalk.  
  
'He's dead' was the first thought to cross Yugi's mind. Amazingly enough, the guy just stood up, apparently unfazed by the violent landing, and shook the bits of concrete out of his hair.  
  
"That has GOT to be a world record at least", said the heir of the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu. "I mean, that must have been what, thirty, forty miles?". "Who are you?" Ranma turned around and faced the speaker, a small boy that couldn't be more than twelve years old. "...Umm, I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry about that". And as he said those words he scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.  
  
************  
  
Author Notes:  
  
Well, here it is. My first fic. You might have noticed I switched back and forth among the Yugis and the Yamis in the duel. That's on purpose, it's to kinda highlight the fact that they are fused so they share thoughts all the time. I also know this is a total ripoff from Yugi's duel with Mai but I felt the need to write the summoning of the Black Luster Soldier, it's just too cool!! Well this story will move slowly, either the updates of the story up until I can finish watching the battle city tournament. C&Cs are appreciated.  
  
(1) I just had to use this quote, anyone knows where it's from? (I know I do)  
  
email me at: ironneko@hotmail.com  
  
Author Notes: (post revision)  
  
Okay, due to the many complaints I received about using Copycat I decided to change the duel a bit. I had planned on doing it anyway since there is no way that Yugi would have had a Sogen card in his deck. But I feel that now it's better. Anyway, chapter 1 should be up in a while. I'm still deciding on Ranma's deck so if you want to send me a message just e-mail me. All kinds of C&C are appreciated.  
  
PS: The quote's from The Matrix, if anyone's wondering about it. 


	2. Choices

Anything Goes Duel Monsters  
  
by Raziel  
  
Taken from Nighthawk's page with permission.  
  
Original idea by Doctor What.  
  
' ' indicates thoughts.  
  
" " indicates speech.  
  
Disclaimer: read prologue.  
  
Chapter one: Choices  
  
***********  
  
"...Umm, I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry about that".  
  
Yugi had mixed ideas about who the young man before him was. On one hand, he appeared harmless, maybe even kind of bashful. On the other hand, he had just survived a God-knows-how-big-a-fall, so he couldn't be precisely normal. The name Ranma Saotome was familiar to him though. Where had he heard it before? 'I seem to recall something... about him being a... martial artist? Wait that's it!'  
  
"You're THE Ranma Saotome? The one who's got a dozen fiancees, turns into a girl when splashed by cold water, who defeated the Phoenix God Saffron and the mythical Orochi?" he asked.  
  
"What? How did you know that? Are you some kind of psychic, or is this just one of your fighting styles' special techniques?" asked the pigtailed aquatransexual, getting into a defensive stance to respond to whatever attack this kid might send his way. 'Mmm... If this guy can read my mind I can't plan my moves ahead, I'm just going to have to go for a full-fledged instinctive battle'.  
  
"But... aren't you just a manga character?" responded the duelist, sweatdropping after seeing the resulting facefault.  
  
Ranma dragged himself back to his feet. "What do you mean a manga character?"  
  
"From the series 'Ranma 1/2'. I've got a copy right here" replied Yugi, digging into his backpack and pulling out a small tome and showing it to the skeptical martial artist. "You see, here it shows you having a fight with this Ryouga guy, the one who turns into a piglet" Sure enough, the pictures showed the time when Ranma's bitter rival (well, one of them at least) had finally mastered the Bakusai Tenketsu and the battle in the mountains. Some of the details were wrong, like the fact that Genma never had fought with Cologne and Akane hadn't been surrounded by spears or anything of the sort.  
  
'What is this.. Let's see, "printed by Nabiki Tendo Ltd." HUH?? WHAT THE HELL? NABIKI DID THIS??' It made sense, in a way. Nabiki was rarely part of the action, and had never been put in true danger. She hadn't been there when he and pig-boy had fought so she must have gotten the info second hand. That was the reason for the inaccuracies. Ranma was too busy cursing the gods for his rotten luck to notice this anyway.  
  
Meanwhile, Seto Kaiba was watching the exchange from a distance. 'It seems Yugi's forgotten all about me. But I can turn this to my advantage. I think I've read some of this 'Ranma 1/2' thing and, if I'm not mistaken, this person should know nothing about Duel Monsters and I recall that he never backs down from a challenge' Most people had him pegged as a jerk but in truth, the creator of the duel disk system was just misunderstood. I mean, come on. How would you feel if some random kid just came along and stripped you of your place as number one duelist in the world? He was grateful to Yugi for saving him from Pegasus and restoring his soul, but a grudge was a grudge and until this was settled Kaiba couldn't accept friendly terms with the younger duelist.  
  
"So Yugi... do you accept my challenge? Or are you too much of a coward who doesn't trust his skills?"  
  
Yugi turned to face Kaiba. 'Oh...I'd forgotten about him, what do you think we should do Yami?'  
  
'I think It's too good to be true, but he has yet to mention what would happen if WE lost' replied the spirit of the pharaoh, cautious about any deals regarding that particular duelist.  
  
"What would happen if I lost?"  
  
Kaiba couldn't help but smirk at the question. "You would, of course, have to accept that I am the better duelist and renounce your position as champion. You would also have to forfeit the rarest card in your and your trainee's deck to me, not counting my dragons, obviously"  
  
"What's the use of having just one Blue eyes White dragon? Sure, it's powerful but you need all three for the Ultimate one"   
  
"I never said I would be giving you one of my Blue eyes. I said I would give you my rarest card, and trust me, what I have is something the likes of which you have never seen" replied the confident teen.  
  
"I still don't think I can find anyone with no knowledge of the game"  
  
Kaiba looked at the still cursing Ranma and said "What about him, I believe he doesn't know how to play. He should qualify, unless he doesn't have the guts for it"  
  
"Hey, I'm not afraid of you" Ranma paused his ranting as he heard himself being adressed in such a manner. "I accept your challenge, and you should know, Ranma Saotome never loses"  
  
'Ha, he is so gullible. I can't believe it was so simple to trick him into agreeing' He smirked again. "Fine then, six months Yugi. Then we'll decide who's the best and, take this" he said, throwing the duel disk he was wearing at Ranma, who caught it effortlessly. "You'll need it for the tournament" With those words he turned around and marched inside Kaiba Land, confident that he would easily beat this upstart, no matter how much he would practice.  
  
"Yugi...right?" asked Ranma after a while.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"What did I just agree to do?"  
  
Yugi rubbed his head after finding out just how painful a facefault could be. "Just come with me, I'll explain on the way to Grampa's shop"  
  
"Okay" Ranma followed him while he began explaining the rules of Duel Monsters and how the whole bet came to be.  
  
***********  
  
In a room with dim light seven figures could be seen. They all were dressed in purple cloaks with golden chains and seemed to be waiting for something. Six of them were seated before a golden throne, Egyptian in design, gazing at the seventh who was surrounded with a golden glow. It subsided after a while and the man seated there finally spoke.   
  
"So, it seems Seto Kaiba is organizing a tournament in six months. Ha, that'll make our work much easier. I will finally be able to get the final Egyptian god card, Obelisk the Tormentor, and with it, the power of the Pharaoh" The rest of the Rare Hunters looked on, unfazed, while their leader laughed maniacally as he thought of what was to come.  
  
***********  
  
"What you're basically saying is that I just accepted a challenge against the world's former champion of Duel Monsters, a game that I don't know how to play and I've never even heard about. Am I right?"  
  
Yugi fidgeted nervously at the question. "Well, when you put it that way... yes"  
  
Ranma continued scratching his head nervously as he pondered over the details once again. "You're also saying that this is a card game and, by accepting, I've compromised your favourite one right? The Black Wizard thingie..."  
  
"Dark Magician" replied Yugi, somewhat annoyed at the way Ranma adressed his rarest card.  
  
After a few (actually a lot) more explanations, the pigtailed martial artist finally understood what he had gotten himself into, but still remained at a loss about what to do to get out of it. They kept walking towards the game shop while Yugi explained to him the most basic rules of the game.  
  
"We're here" said the duelist as they stopped in front of a fairly large card game shop. The sign was set to "Closed" but as soon as they went inside, Yugi switched it to "open".  
  
"Grampa, I'm home!" he called out while closing the door behind him after letting Ranma through. The old man standing behind the counter looked up from his inventory list and laid eyes on Yugi.  
  
"Hello Yugi. I was wondering when you would return. What did Kaiba want to talk about?" The store owner finally noticed his grandson's companion and was surprised at him being with someone other than Joey or Tristan, or Tea. "And who is this young man?"   
  
"Oh right, this is Ranma Saotome. He's going to be spending some time with us for the next six months or so... That reminds me, where are you going to stay?"  
  
"... I hadn't really thought about that... I guess I'll just camp in some empty lot around here, if I can get my hands on some supplies."  
  
"Nonsense, we have a spare room here, and it's been some time since we've had a houseguest. Besides Yugi's friends are always welcome here." He then slowly made his way towards the god slayer and extended his hand towards him. "I'm Solomon Motou, but you can just call me gramps."  
  
Ranma stared at the offered hand for a second. He had known these people for less than an hour, and he had already been offered a place to stay. 'He barely knows me and already thinks of me as a friend.' he thought to himself. No one had ever treated him like that before. Every person he had met had tried to get something out of him. His father just used him as a meal ticket, there was Soun who merely wanted the schools to be united, then the fiancees... well they just saw him as a prize. Only Kasumi had treated him with genuine kindness and he had always regretted the fact that he couldn't help her as much as he wanted. The times he tried had always earned him a malleting from the tomboy. It was, as she called it, the 'rightful punishment for flirting with my sister, you pervert'. But this time it was different, he could tell.   
  
"Really? Well... thanks Mr. Motou." he finally said, after shaking his hand.  
  
Yugi smiled at the exchange between Ranma and his grandfather with a smile on his face. 'What do you think about all of this Yami?' he mentally asked the spirit of the pharaoh who dwelt inside the puzzle. 'I think things will get a lot more interesting around here.'  
  
***************  
  
Kaiba walked swiftly through the hallway towards his office. There was quite a lot of work to be done and he still needed to further enhance his deck, now that he would duel without his dragons. Besides, he still needed to create a new profile for Ranma. 'I can't wait to crush this amateur and prove to the world that I'm still the number one duelist.' he thought.  
  
"Big brother!!!"  
  
He cut his musings short as the energy ball that was his younger brother slammed into him. He was one of the few rays of sunshine he had in his life, having protected him since they were very young and stuck in an orphanage together. He was what made Kaiba strive to be the best. They had already suffered during their early childhood and he had vowed to himself that Mokuba would never go through that again.  
  
"How'd the duel with Yugi go?" he asked, confident in Seto's skills as a duelist and sure that he had defeated his rival this time.  
  
"Not as I'd expected" he replied, "but something good came out of it in the end."  
  
"Huh? What do you mean Seto?"  
  
The older boy smiled. "Let's just say that Yugi's going to have his hands full for the next six months."  
  
"You told him about the tournament! But, I thought you wanted to keep it a secret."  
  
"Trust me," he reassured him, "it's better this way. Now come with me. There's some work to be done... oh and remind me to delete Wheeler's file from the tournament and replace it with a blank one with the name 'Ranma Saotome', I've still got to get his deck information and rarest card." And, almost as an afterthought he said, "Also, give him a five star ranking."  
  
"Whatever you say Seto" replied Mokuba as he rushed off to comply with his requests.  
  
'Once I reclaim my title as champion there will be nothing to stop me from getting the other Egyptian god cards.' He looked at the blue deity contained within the card he held in his hand. 'And I'm not going to make the same mistake twice.'  
  
*****************  
  
Author notes:  
  
That's chapter one for you. I cut it off here because it would otherwise take too long to finish and people would kill me for not updating. Things will soon heat up as Ranma gets his own deck. And, just in case you're wondering, it won't have ALL the rarest cards in the world, that would just be boring and unrealistic. Keep in mind that he will have 3 Blue Eyes White Dragons...  
  
Got any comments? E-mail me at ironneko@hotmail.com  
  
Note: For the people reading this in ff.net, I revised the prologue (Mayor revision) but it didn't count as an update so just re read it. 


	3. Dueling 101

Anything Goes Duel Monsters

by Ironneko (yes... I've changed my nick name, gonna fix old chapters... eventually...)

Taken from Nighthawk's idea page with permission from both him and the original mastermind behind the whole concept. (It case anyone's wondering, that would be Doctor What.)

Disclaimer: Insert your favourite disclaimer here. (Or read the prologue.)

" " denotes speech.

' ' denotes thoughts. (I really don't think anyone would confuse this for being anything else... but man is a creature of habit I guess. So I'll keep adding the legend.)

Chapter Two: Dueling 101

-------------------------

"I draw."

The sound of a deck being shuffled was the only noise emanating out of the back room of the game shop.

"I place this monster in attack mode and then set this card face-down on the field."

The pigtailed teenager sitting across the Duelist Kingdom Champion eyed the card his opponent had just set on the field warily.

Ranma simply wasn't confortable with the concept of a trap card. It seemed to him like cheating. The feeling he got was the exact same one as when someone used an unfair advantage in a fight.

He wasn't beneath cheating at card games, (the Gambler King incident proved that quite well) it was just that this was so much more than just a card game. Yugi had been showing him the holographic proyectors inside the arenas at Kaiba Land, and he had been blown away by how real the monsters and effects felt. It seemed too much like magic, and Ranma knew nothing good ever came from dealing with magic.

"I summon Blue Eyes White Dragon (LV8 3000/2500) in attack mode."

Yugi was concerned about Ranma. He was learning... some... but the whole process was taking too much time given that his "student" refused to play any magic or trap cards.

"Now I attack your Celtic Guardian (LV4 1400/1200) with my dragon."

When Yugi confronted him, Ranma had been sketchy about why he didn't play these sorts of cards. Something about having enough trouble with magic already was the best he could make out of the mumbled response the pigtailed teen offered.

"Are you sure you want to attack me? I do have one face-down card on the field."

Teaching him to avoid magic and trap cards was an arduous task as well, as Ranma tended to think that if he didn't play traps, his opponent would refrain from playing them as well.

"Yeah, I still want to attack."

The last twenty or so times they had played, he had shown rather impressive adaptability, as he kept losing with a narrower margin each time. However, he had yet to defeat the Duelist Kingdom champ in a duel.

"Very well then, in response to your attack I will activate my face-down card. I reveal Spellbinding Circle; this trap shall halt your dragon's attack, and his attack points will be lowered by seven hundred until your next turn."

A couple of weeks ago a package had arrived from Kaiba Corp. Inside were all three of the Blue Eyes White Dragon cards and as an "additional bonus" Kaiba had included his Lord of Dragons (LV4 1200/1100) and three Flute of the Summoning Dragon cards. Since then, both of them had been at it non-stop, having no less than ten duels a day.

"Hmm... okay... Then I will place this card face-down, and end my turn."

'This is a first,' Yugi thought as he saw Ranma set a card on the field, 'he has never played a face-down card before.'

He stared at the playing field for a few minutes, briefly analysing how the duel was going. Ranma had his weakened Blue Eyes and a face-down card, and he had his Celtic Guardian in attack and his Mystical Elf in defense mode.

"Ok then, since your dragon has been weakened, I shall summon my Dark Magician to the field and attack your creature."

He placed the Monster card face-up on the field, and then motioned towards his opponent's card, ready to remove it from the field as the result of the battle.

"Umm... right... but I can activate this because you attacked..." Ranma said while revealing the card he had set last turn, "It says here that the attacking monster is destroyed."

Yugi was shocked; not only did Ranma play a trap card, the effect of Sakuretsu Armor had also costed him his most powerful monster.

"That means it's my turn now, right?" the pigtailed teen asked, feeling uncertain about his latest move.

"Uh.. yes... it's your move," Yugi said, still reeling from the events transpired.

"Okay then," Ranma said, "I summon The Lord of Dragons, in defense mode. This monster cancels out your Spellbinding Circle trap, so my dragon is free to attack once again."

Ranma placed the spellcaster on the field and then looked at his hand intently. After a couple of moments of thought, he turned to look at the scoreboard. He was down by four hundred lifepoints, having been the only one of the two players who had received an attack.

'What the hell, I'll just go for it,' he thought as he grabbed another card from his hand.

"Okay then, I'll set another card face down and then attack your guardian with my Blue Eyes White Dragon."

Yugi winced as he was forced to remove his warrior from the field. Losing sixteen hundred lifepoints from a single attack was a big blow to his game, but he felt confident enough about recovering.

"I draw now," Yugi said as he grabbed the top card from his deck. A smile appeared on his face, as he witnessed how believing in the Heart of the Cards rewarded him once again.

"I play the magic card, Brain Control. This card allows me to seize control of one monster on your side of the field."

Yugi stretched out across the table, and grabbed Ranma's (Kaiba's actually... but who cares?) Lord of Dragons.

'Why would he take that card?' Ranma thought, 'I was sure he'd try to take the dragon...'

"Your Lord of Dragons' special ability prevents my magic card from taking control of your dragon, but this one is all I need," Yugi said, as he placed the spellcaster on his side of the field.

'Oh, that's why...'

"I shall now sacrifice both monsters to empower my Dark Magic Ritual magic card. This will allow me to summon my most powerful spellcaster yet. The Magician of Black Chaos (LV8 2800/2500(1))."

Yugi then placed both of the tributed monsters into their respective graveyards as he put his own creature into play.

"But he's weaker than my dragon," Ranma said, while trying to figure out why his opponent had summoned the mage, "there's no way you can defeat me with less attack points."

"That would normally be true, however... I will now equip my Magician of Black Chaos with this magic card."

Yugi selected one of the cards from his hand and placed it over one of the designated magic/trap card spaces in the board Ranma and himself were using for the duel.

"Beacause of my Dark Pendant's effect, my sorceror gains five hundred attack points; enough to overwhelm your Blue Eyes by an even three hundred," he said.

There was little Ranma could do now to save his monster. Of course, he had a face-down card on the field, but Yugi didn't think him likely to play two traps in a row.

"I attack your dragon with my Magician of Black Chaos."

Ranma nervously looked at the field. He felt confident enough about the card he had laid before, so he was pretty sure his dragon was safe. With a smile on his face, he turned over his card.

"This stops your attack, so my dragon is protected, right?" Ranma asked while mentally congratulating himself on such a smart move.

"Um... actually... That card does nothing of the sort..." replied Yugi, after checking the card his opponent played, "It says so right there: The effect of Mystical Space Typhoon is to destroy one magic or trap card on the field."

"Oh... Then I guess I can't stop the attack..."

Ranma slumped back on his seat, a defeated look on his face. He was so sure that card would have worked!

"Um... Ranma... You are aware that your spell card can destroy my creature's equipment, right?" Yugi felt both torn about wanting to kick himself for telling a rival about a beneficial play and feeling the need to help Ranma learn more about his current standing in the duel, "That should lower my magician's attack points enough so that your dragon is able to destroy it with ease."

"Right... I knew that..." said Ranma, with an unconvincing look on his face.

'Okay... Bold-faced lie, and he's not even good at hiding it. I believe I've still got tons of work to do before he can make a decent bluff,' thought the Pharaoh while his opponent tried to understand exactly how it was that he had managed to gain the upper hand.

"So, my magician loses his equipment. You get hit for five hundred damage points due to the Black Pendant's effect, and I lose both my creature and two hundred additional lifepoints due to the attack."

Yugi took a moment to check the scoreboard, although he didn't really need to.

"And that means you win, Ranma."

The pigtailed martial artist couldn't believe it. He had won!

"Wow! Cool!"

It was the first time he had managed to do that since they had begun playing, so it was fair to say that he was feeling a bit excted at the prospect. However, Yugi was quick to burst his bubble.

"You're still making too many mistakes. At this rate, you'll never defeat Kaiba."

While Yugi was very surprised Ranma had managed to pull a victorious last move, he knew that it was probably a fluke on his part. He still needed to make Ranma a much better player if he was to at least stand a chance against Kaiba.

"Um, it can't be too hard can it? I mean, it's just a game right?"

"That's your problem! Right there! Kaiba is a world champion, he has been playing Duel Monsters for years. Heck, he's even helped with testing new cards and has even invented a new ruling system that is quickly being accepted by duelists everywhere."

"What do you mean?"

Ranma wasn't stupid. Nothing would be further from the truth. He was, actually, a tactical genius. The years of tutelage he had recieved from his father had turned his brain into something more akin to a supercomputer when it came to analysing battles and potential threats. Ranma just wasn't motivated to use his skills regarding things he thought were "boring".

In this case, he lacked the knowledge, and drive, to truly make full use of his abilities, so he was just content to play along. It was after all, just a game.

"You have to try and stop seeing this as just a card game Ranma. Duel Monsters is just like a fight. A war, where the rule is 'survival of the fittest' and to succeed you must win every battle. The only way to do it is to fully explore all areas of the game... including the magic and the trap cards. Now, you're up against one of the grandmasters. Do you really want to be at a disadvantage?"

Yugi cut his tirade short, the need to breathe stopping his inspiration momentarily.

"Yeah, you may be right," Ranma admitted after a couple of seconds of silent contemplation, "but I don't know which ones to use," He took another moment in order to steel himself, and then swallowed his pride one more time.

"Could you... help me?"

Yugi smiled at this.

"Sure, let me see your deck, I think I know of a couple of cards we could add to make this a bit more interesting."

And, like so, the training truly began.

----------------------

Author's notes:

Yes, I know it's short... It's probably incomplete. The story has advanced nanoseconds, but it is SOMETHING, is it not?

Well, basically same drill as before, college study stress no free time guilt trips. So all of that basically means, no time (or energy) to write. I had a lot more written about six months ago... But I lost everything due to a mishap with my laptop.

I'm trying to make some time to get over this huge block I've got regarding TSS ch4, but then again... I've got finals coming up all the way till December 21st, so I doubt I'll be updating that before Christmas. I will make an effort though, so please bear with me.

The name change... well... RaZiel is a bit common, and Ironneko has been my nickname for a little over 4 years now... e-mail address and whatnot. So I just made the switch.

(1) Yes, this is the RITUAL version. Since I don't have the other one, and really don't want to look it up right now... That's the one I'll use for now. Besides, this is the one Yugi has during the series, so I'll stick to this one.

Note: I'll eventually get around to making a side story about how Ranma's dealed with stuff concerning Nerima, but I just wanted to post this as soon as possible before I got a letter bomb mailed to my house...

Another note: Believe it or not I read every single e-mail and review I get. I do try to respond to all of them but then again, I am only human. If you had a question or something that needed a reply and I didn't send one I probably never got the message or was too busy to reply. Still, I realy appreaciate feedback and hope to get some.

Yet another note: If you want a response, e-mail me. I won't respond to reviews. (But I still appreciate them.)

Comments, criticism, hell, flame me if you want to, someone told me it builds character: , (Ff. Net guys, check profile for mails.). 


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